Treasure County, Montana

Treasure County
County
Yucca Theatre, in Hysham, Montana.
Location within the U.S. state of Montana
Montana's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 46°12′N107°16′W / 46.2°N 107.27°W / 46.2; -107.27
Country	United States
State	Montana
Founded	1919
Seat	Hysham
Largest town	Hysham
Area
• Total	984 sq mi (2,550 km2)
• Land	977 sq mi (2,530 km2)
• Water	6.6 sq mi (17 km2)  0.7%
Population  (2020)
• Total	762
• Estimate  (2022)	758
• Density	0.77/sq mi (0.30/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Montana county number 33

Treasure County is a county in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 762, ^[1] making it the second-least populous county in Montana. Its county seat is Hysham. ^[2] The county was split off from Rosebud county in 1919 and named Treasure in hopes of drawing in new settlers. ^[3]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 984 square miles (2,550 km²), of which 977 square miles (2,530 km²) is land and 6.6 square miles (17 km²) (0.7%) is water. ^[4] It is the fourth-smallest county in Montana by land area.

Major highways

• I-94
• US 10 (Former)
• S-311

Adjacent counties

• Rosebud County - northeast
• Big Horn County - south
• Yellowstone County - west

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1920	1,990		—
1930	1,661		−16.5%
1940	1,499		−9.8%
1950	1,402		−6.5%
1960	1,345		−4.1%
1970	1,069		−20.5%
1980	981		−8.2%
1990	874		−10.9%
2000	861		−1.5%
2010	718		−16.6%
2020	762		6.1%
2022 (est.)	758	[5]	−0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [6] 1790–1960, [7] 1900–1990, [8] 1990–2000, [9] 2010–2020 [1]

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 762 people living in the county. ^[10]

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 718 people, 335 households, and 219 families residing in the county. The population density was 0.7 inhabitants per square mile (0.27/km²). There were 422 housing units at an average density of 0.4 per square mile (0.15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% white, 0.8% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 1.9% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 40.2% were American, 22.4% were German, 9.9% were English, 9.9% were Irish, and 7.4% were Norwegian.

Of the 335 households, 22.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.5% were married couples living together, 2.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.6% were non-families, and 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.67. The median age was 51.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,969 and the median income for a family was $51,458. Males had a median income of $38,194 versus $26,563 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,882. About 4.6% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Treasure County voters are reliably Republican. They have only selected the Democratic Party candidate in five national elections (as of 2021) during the century of the county's existence as an independent unit.

United States presidential election results for Treasure County, Montana ^[11]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	367	83.03%	57	12.90%	18	4.07%
2020	373	81.09%	78	16.96%	9	1.96%
2016	351	79.23%	59	13.32%	33	7.45%
2012	319	70.11%	114	25.05%	22	4.84%
2008	314	64.61%	156	32.10%	16	3.29%
2004	348	72.20%	121	25.10%	13	2.70%
2000	344	71.82%	106	22.13%	29	6.05%
1996	237	47.59%	171	34.34%	90	18.07%
1992	206	37.66%	157	28.70%	184	33.64%
1988	291	54.29%	231	43.10%	14	2.61%
1984	353	61.28%	209	36.28%	14	2.43%
1980	321	57.94%	181	32.67%	52	9.39%
1976	315	55.85%	239	42.38%	10	1.77%
1972	377	65.68%	176	30.66%	21	3.66%
1968	298	56.55%	188	35.67%	41	7.78%
1964	251	46.83%	285	53.17%	0	0.00%
1960	300	52.63%	270	47.37%	0	0.00%
1956	337	57.22%	252	42.78%	0	0.00%
1952	392	65.66%	205	34.34%	0	0.00%
1948	253	45.18%	291	51.96%	16	2.86%
1944	287	50.09%	282	49.21%	4	0.70%
1940	287	47.05%	321	52.62%	2	0.33%
1936	244	36.47%	398	59.49%	27	4.04%
1932	276	46.31%	310	52.01%	10	1.68%
1928	354	65.43%	186	34.38%	1	0.18%
1924	289	55.36%	84	16.09%	149	28.54%
1920	517	71.41%	174	24.03%	33	4.56%

Communities

Town

• Hysham (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

• Bighorn, Montana
• Myers
• Sanders

Ghost town

• Rancher

See also

• List of lakes in Treasure County, Montana
• List of mountains in Treasure County, Montana
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Treasure County, Montana

References

1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Montana Place Names from Alzada to Zortman. Helena, MT: Montana Historical Society Press. 2009. p. 267.
4. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2014. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
5. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
6. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
7. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
8. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
9. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
10. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
11. Leip, David. "Atlas of US Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved April 3, 2018.

46°12′N107°16′W / 46.20°N 107.27°W / 46.20; -107.27